See how these retro spaces have been redesigned for the 21st century.

The Challenge

The Challenge

There are endless ways to shop for home furnishings online, but sometimes even the most design-savvy DIY home decorators could use a little help from a pro when it comes to putting it all together. Luckily, interior designers are no longer just for the rich and famous — online design services are popping up around the web as cost-friendly alternatives to hiring a full-time decorator.

To put these new services to the test, we challenged five to refresh a few of our favorite classic TV show living rooms for less than $3,000. Compare the retro "befores" from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Brady Bunch, I Love Lucy, The Jeffersons, and Happy Days with the fun "afters" created by Havenly, Decorist, Tobi Fairley's Inbox Interiors, decorateITonline, and Décor Aid to see if any of these services might be able to help you take your living room to the next level.

Then: The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Then: The Mary Tyler Moore Show

"Mary, a 30-something single working woman, rents this apartment after a bad break-up," says Shelby Girard, director of design at Havenly.com, which offers online decorating services at $185 per room. "She has a brightness to her — and these drab colors do not do her sparkling personality justice!"

How It Works: At Havenly.com, clients take a style survey and provide pictures of their room and any items they would like to use in the space. After a free online consultation with their interior designer, clients pay the $185 flat fee and receive two concept boards and a final rendering of their newly designed room. The entire process takes place online, and Havenly takes care of the shopping and delivery coordination.

The Challenge

There are endless ways to shop for home furnishings online, but sometimes even the most design-savvy DIY home decorators could use a little help from a pro when it comes to putting it all together. Luckily, interior designers are no longer just for the rich and famous — online design services are popping up around the web as cost-friendly alternatives to hiring a full-time decorator.

To put these new services to the test, we challenged five to refresh a few of our favorite classic TV show living rooms for less than $3,000. Compare the retro "befores" from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Brady Bunch, I Love Lucy, The Jeffersons, and Happy Days with the fun "afters" created by Havenly, Decorist, Tobi Fairley's Inbox Interiors, decorateITonline, and Décor Aid to see if any of these services might be able to help you take your living room to the next level.

Then: The Mary Tyler Moore Show

"Mary, a 30-something single working woman, rents this apartment after a bad break-up," says Shelby Girard, director of design at Havenly.com, which offers online decorating services at $185 per room. "She has a brightness to her — and these drab colors do not do her sparkling personality justice!"

How It Works: At Havenly.com, clients take a style survey and provide pictures of their room and any items they would like to use in the space. After a free online consultation with their interior designer, clients pay the $185 flat fee and receive two concept boards and a final rendering of their newly designed room. The entire process takes place online, and Havenly takes care of the shopping and delivery coordination.

Courtesy Everett Collection

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Now: The Mary Tyler Moore Show

"We wanted to give Mary, TV's most famous bachelorette, a sophisticated yet inviting living space," Girard says. "After a long day at work, Mary deserves to come home to a serene, comforting, cozy environment. We used neutrals to build the room's timeless foundation while the seafoam drapes add a touch of femininity. The lacquered bamboo chairs and metal-frame coffee table are easily shuffled around to accommodate larger parties — Mary is, after all, a very social gal!"

Then: I Love Lucy

"I Love Lucy was such an iconic show," says Tobi Fairley, CEO of Tobi Fairley & Associates. "It was shot in black and white, which required a lot of contrast between furnishings, walls, clothing, and other items. A navy sofa with red drapery and pink walls isn't ideal, but it worked back then for the camera and lack of color on screen."

How It Works: With Fairley's online design service InBox Interiors, clients send in digital photos and measurements of their space, as well as an idea of their likes and dislikes, and within a few weeks a package arrives in the mail with everything you need to create a new room, including a furniture plan, fabric and paint samples, a shopping list, and step-by-step instructions. All selections for InBox Interiors projects are available online or locally. The cost depends on the room, but a design like the one created for the I LoveLucy living room would be $2,500.

Courtesy Everett Collection

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Now: I Love Lucy

"I love the midcentury modern style of the original set, so we gave a nod to it with the sofa design," Fairley says. "The black and white palette is also an homage to the original show, but I added pattern with the pillows, draperies, and the stools — the polka dot pillows were inspired by Lucy's iconic dresses. No home today is complete without a desk for laptops and other technology, so we used that in place of the piano. And, of course, if it's my design there has to be color, so we brought in pops of coral to give this space a fresh update."

Then: Happy Days

"The Happy Days living room was a well-used family space," says Sean Juneja, co-founder of Décor Aid, a service that combines traditional in-person interior design consultations with online aspects. "We wanted to give this family-oriented central hub of the household a modern facelift with the same retro flare."

How It Works: First, a Décor Aid interior designer will come to the client's home for an in-person consultation, which costs $100 to $150 per hour, with no minimum hours required. Next, the designer develops a menu of options: hours required, budget, and timeline. Then, as the work is executed, clients have access to their designer as well as Décor Aid's online platform to track the progress of their project.

Now: Happy Days

"We chose a fun, vibrant color scheme as a nod to the set's retro roots and stylish, yet functional furniture, with clean lines to modernize the space," Juneja says. "The Moroccan-influenced trellis pattern on the rug and draperies adds a flavorful element as a modern play on the layered floral and ethnic patterns of that era. The trellis silhouette is echoed in the wooden fretwork on the side table. The mid-century coffee table balances the room."

Then: The Jeffersons

"Although the Jeffersons' condo was well put together it didn't feel welcoming to me and and the dark colors felt heavy," says Sasha Stricker, president and founder of decorateITonline.com, which uses clients' home photos and answers to its style finder questionnaire to create custom decorating plans. "I wanted to transform the space into something more inviting, that felt bright and fresh."

How It Works: After clients fill out the style questionnaire and provide photos, within two weeks the company will send clients a custom decorating plan that includes furniture and accessory recommendations as well as lighting, window coverings, rugs, pillows, and art. Complete room plans start at $367 with optional 3D renderings and virtual tours available, or you can have an individual decorating question answered for as little as $45.

Courtesy Everett Collection

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Now: The Jeffersons

"By brightening up the paint color I was able to use some bold color accents without making the space feel cluttered," Stricker says. "The soothing blue, green and pale yellow color palette feels like a breath of fresh air and contributes to the overall feeling of serenity in the space. Dividing the room in two unique spaces enabled me to create a new sitting area in front of the patio doors and make the living room portion a more comfortable size, the result being spaces that feel more intimate and welcoming."

Then: The Brady Bunch

"We chose the seating area of the iconic Brady Bunch living room," says Chrissy Burgess, head of design services at Decorist.com, where homeowners can take a free style quiz to create their profile and get daily suggestions of new decor finds, curated by Decorist designers. "The green color story, mixing of materials and textures, statement accessories — it was all ripe for reinvention."

How It Works: At Decorist.com, a room makeover costs $199, while Ask a Designer and Room Builder services are offered for free.